Homeless people who visit two Birmingham city centre soup kitchens could soon be getting extra help to tackle drug, -alcohol and housing problems following a new partnership between two charities and the city council.

It comes as official Government figures have revealed that the numbers of rough sleepers in the city centre has almost doubled in the last year.

The issue of homelessness is under a major spotlight with the Sport Relief documentary Famous, Rich and Homeless featuring celebrities Julia Bradbury and Willie Thorne.

Now the city council has joined forces with the Digbeth based SIFA Fireside charity and the Midland Langa Seva Society, or MLSS, to offer a free hot meal to homeless people on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.

Sikh charity MLSS has been running the outdoor soup kitchen on the corner of Moor Street and Albert Street for the last two years, but found that those attending were vulnerable to crime or exploitation.

They are running the indoor service from SIFA Fireside’s unit in Alcock Street, Digbeth , with funding from Birmingham City Council. The council is now planning to offer mental health, substance abuse and housing and benefits advice and support to those attending.

Homeless people get a warm meal at SIFA Fireside in Digbeth

MLSS volunteer Dr Sukhdev Singh said: “A number of people now rely on our service as their main source of nutrition, so I am pleased and proud to have helped MLSS and SIFA come together in an unprecedented collaboration to help feed the homeless and poor in Birmingham.”

SIFA Fireside chief executive Cath Gilliver added: “We’ve been working with Midland Langar Seva for a while now and very much appreciate the support they provide for people who are homeless or otherwise vulnerable, so this new project is a natural extension of that, and we’re delighted that the Council is supporting our partnership.”

Coun Narinder Kooner, who helped secure the partnership deal, said: “Midland Langar Seva Society is one of a number of amazing organisations helping the homeless in Birmingham and I’m proud of the way our city comes together to help people who have fallen on hard times. The volunteers are a credit to the city.”

The official number of rough sleepers in Birmingham has risen from 20 to 36 in the last year. The numbers counted by officials in a single night and are likely to be a significant underestimate of the total amount of people living on the streets and do not include the hundreds more being put up in hostels and temporary accommodation.